Foldable abdominal and thigh exercise machine

ABSTRACT

A foldable abdominal and thigh exercise machine comprising a base frame, a seat frame connected to the base frame at a first pivot, an arm connecting to the base frame at a second pivot that connects the arm to the base frame, a lifting link at an arm pivot, wherein the lifting link is connected to the seat frame at a lifting pivot, wherein, when a user pushes the arm, force is transmitted to lift the seat frame via the lifting link connected at the lifting pivot on the seat frame. The exercise machine also comprises a support connected at a support pivot mounted on the base frame and a slider that is slidingly mounted on the seat frame and connected to the lifting link by the lifting pivot, wherein the location of the lifting pivot relative to the seat frame is adjusted by the location of the slider on the seat frame.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is entitled to the benefit of Provisional Patent Application titled, “Foldable Abdominal and Thigh Exercise Machine,” filed 2005 Dec. 16.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to exercise devices, and more particularly to a device that is to use the weight of a user to provide a resistance for workouts on abdominal, upper arms, and thighs.

2. Description of Related Art

Many abdominal exercise machines have been created in the present time. Some of them also perform other exercises. One type of the machines is a simple board on a floor to support a user's back, and as the user pulls an arm the board moves up to provide a resistance as in a sit-up motion. Sometimes the arm is pulled using the user's legs to move the board upward. This setup usually provide only abdominal workout setting and the user must lie down on the floor. There are other type of machines that allow the user to sit down on a seat pad and a backrest for performing abdominal exercise. A number of them incorporate a movement of either the seat pad or the backrest as the user pulls or pushes the arm. However their setups are usually complicated, expensive to manufacture, and big in size, and only offer abdominal workout option, often without a stowed position for device storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.

The present invention is an apparatus to be used as an exercise device that helps a user to exercise her or his abdominal, upper arm, and thigh muscles using her or his own weight. Adjustments can be made to change one exercise to another. The present invention can be folded to store away into a space such as a closet or a gap between a floor and a bed frame. The apparatus includes a base frame that sits on a floor surface. A seat frame is pivotally attached to the base frame and accommodates a user to sit on a seat pad integrated onto the seat frame. An arm portion is pivotally fixed on the base frame and pivotally linked to the seat frame using a link. When the user sits on or leans against the seat frame and pushes away the arm portion to exercise abdominal, arms, or thighs, the link that pivotally connects the arm portion to the base frame causes the seat frame to rise up lifting the user. This action provides a resistance, the body weight of the user, for the exercise. The arm portion can be adjusted to accommodate the user to focus on abdominal or arm or thigh muscles at a time.

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide an apparatus having advantages not taught by the prior art.

Another objective is to provide such an apparatus capable of utilizing the weight of the user as a resistance using a linkage that connects the base frame, the seat frame, and the arm portion.

Another objective is to provide such an apparatus capable of making adjustment on the position of the arm portion relative to the seat frame such that the user is able to focus on a different muscle group at a time.

A further objective is to provide such an apparatus capable of having it folded so that it can be stored away in a compact space such as a closet space or a space between a floor and a bed frame.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment depicting the apparatus in an upper body workout setting.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the preferred embodiment depicting the apparatus in the upper body workout setting.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the preferred embodiment depicting the apparatus in the upper body workout setting.

FIG. 4 is also the side elevational view of the embodiment in the upper body workout setting at a rest position.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the embodiment in the upper body workout setting showing the seat frame lifted up as a result of moving the arm portion in such exercises as abdominal and upper arms.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the embodiment in a lower body workout setting at a rest position.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the embodiment in the lower body workout setting showing the seat frame lifted up as a result of moving the arm portion in such exercises as thighs and hip.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the embodiment showing the parts that are ready to be folded down.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the embodiment showing the embodiment folded down and laid on a floor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The above described drawing FIGS. 1-9 illustrate the invention, an apparatus for abdominal and thigh exercise machine 1, particularly in FIGS. 1-3, having a base frame 2 positioned on a floor surface. The base frame 2 includes front and back supports 21, 26, respectively, and first and second links 24, 25, respectively. The back support 26 is pivotally fixed on the front support 21 at a support pivot 28 and joined to the front support 21 with the first link 24 and the second link 25. The links 24, 25 are pivotally joined each other at a link pivot 100, and the other side of the first link 24 is pivotally fixed to the front support 21 at a fourth pivot 23 and the other side of the second link 25 is pivotally fixed to the back support 26 at a third pivot 27. This arrangement makes a four bar linkage connection among the first link 24, the second link 25, the front support 21, and the back support 26, and by making the first link 24 and the second link 25 fold, the front support 21 and the back support 26 also get folded as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The front support 21 also includes a first foot 31 as a contact surface on the floor. Likewise, the back support 26 includes a second foot 30 as a contact surface on the floor when the apparatus is in workout position.

The preferred embodiment also includes a seat frame 3 that comprises a seat support 52 pivotally attached at a first pivot 29 on the front support 21 of the base frame 2. A third foot 51 near or about the lower end of the seat support 52 makes contact with the front support 21 of the base frame 2. FIG. 1 shows the third foot 51, possibly made of soft material such as rubber or plastics, placed about the bottom end of the seat support 52, however the third foot 51 may be placed at any available point along the surface of the seat support 52 facing the front support 21 of the base frame 2 to make contact with the front support 21. The seat frame 3 shown in FIG. 3 also comprises a seat mount 35 that is pivotally fixed at a seat pad pivot 37 on the seat support 52. A seat lever 33 is pivotally attached at a seat lever pivot 34 on the seat mount 35 and engaged on a finger 32 fixed on the seat support 52 to support a seat pad 36 mounted on the seat mount 35 in a workout position of the seat pad 36 to accommodate a user to sit on. FIG. 8 shows the seat lever 33 being disengaged from the finger 32 to be folded so that the seat pad 36 positioned substantially flat against the seat support 52 in a fold away setting of the apparatus. FIG. 9 shows the apparatus in the fold away setting. A back pad 39 is fixed on the seat support 52 with at least two spacers 38 placed between the back pad 39 and the seat support 52 to give a gap to a slider 43 to move along the seat support 52 as shown in FIG. 3. The slider 43 can be engaged on holes 41 for positioning the slider 43 on the seat support 52 using a first pin 42 through the slider 43. The first pin 42 may be a spring-loaded pin, also called a pop-up pin, contained in a housing fixed on the slider 43 or a simple tightening knob as widely used in the field of the art.

A second pivot 22 joins an arm portion 4 to the base frame 2 and a lifting link 45 at an arm pivot 46. The lifting link 45 is connected to the seat frame 3 at a lifting pivot 44 when a user pushes the arm portion 4, force is transmitted to lift user via the lifting link 45 at the pivot 44 on the seat frame 3.

The lifting link 45 is pivotally fixed at the lifting pivot 44 on the slider 43 and pivotally connected to the arm portion 4 at the arm pivot 46 on an arm support 47. The arm portion 4 includes an arm support 47 that is pivotally connected to the front support 21 of the base frame 2 at a second pivot 22, and an arm adjuster 49 is telescopically engaged with the arm support 47 to adjust the distance of an arm pad 50 from the back pad 39 of the seat frame 3. The arm pad 50 is preferably made of a soft foam material or an equivalent to receive the user's body parts and covers a portion of the arm adjuster 49. A second pin 48 is provided for the arm adjuster 49 to engage with arm holes 55 on the arm support 47. The second pin 48 may be replaced with a simple tightening knob on the arm adjuster 49. Using the tightening knob does not require having the holes 55 to have the arm adjuster 49 engage with the arm support 47. The number of holes on the arm holes 55 may be varied depending on the need of providing different exercise options and accommodating different body size users in a pin style adjustment.

Exercises on different muscle groups can be done by setting up the apparatus in a number of ways using the adjustments. FIGS. 4 and 5 show the apparatus set up for the user to perform upper body workouts such as abdominal crunch, chest press, and upper arms. In FIG. 4, the first pin 42 is engaged in one of the holes 41 of the seat frame 3 set for the arm pad 50 to receive the user's upper body part. Once the first pin 42 is locked in the hole, the displacement of the arm pad 50 in the direction away from the back pad 39 produces a lift on the seat frame 3 including the user' entire body when the user is positioned on the seat pad 36, shown in FIG. 5. Depending on the different exercise options and the body size of the user, the arm pad 50 on the arm adjuster 49 may be adjusted out or in and up or down using both the first pin 42 and the second pin 48. The displacement upward of the seat frame 3 shown in FIG. 5 from the rest position shown in FIG. 4 produces a resistance against the arm pad 50 when the arm pad 50 is moved in the direction away from the back pad 39.

FIG. 5 shows angular relationship between certain parts to illustrate displacement relationships. A main angle a is between the base frame 2 and the seat frame 3. An arm angle b is between the arm support 47 of the arm portion 4 and the base frame 2. A seat pad angle c is between the seat support 52 and the seat pad 36. A support angle d is between the back support 26 and the base frame 2. From the initial rest position of the upper body workout setting shown in FIG. 4, as the arm pad 50 is pushed away from the user, the arm angle b is increased and the main angle a also gets increased. There is no change in the seat pad angle or the support angle.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show another setting of the apparatus to help the user focus on lower body workouts. An adjustment is made on the embodiment so that the first pin 42 on the slider 43 is placed closer to first pivot 29 on the upper side of the seat frame 3 at one of the holes 41 of the seat frame 3, and the second pin 48 is also placed at one of the holes 55 on the arm support 47 such that the arm pad 50 is moved more outward and downward from the back pad 39 from its position of the upper body workout setting shown in FIG. 4 to receive the user's lower body parts, such as the user's feet, more comfortably. When the arm pad 50 is pushed down after the first pin 42 is locked, the seat frame 3 is lifted up producing a resistance against the arm pad 50 in the same manner shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIGS. 6 and 7 are shown with an elastic member 88 attached between a first point 58 on the front support 21 of the base frame 2 and a second point 59 on the seat support 52. The elastic member 88 can be a rubber band, a spring, or even a shock absorber and is added in the lower body workout setting to provide an additional resistance to the workout. Also in making adjustment to move and set the slider 43 closer to the first pivot 29, a leverage is added on the seat frame 3 to produce more resistance for a given angular displacement of the arm support 47 for the lower body workout focusing thighs and hip that generally require higher resistance than the upper body workouts. And the adjustment naturally puts the arm pad downward to comfortably accommodate the lower body of the user. A multiple number of the elastic members 88 may be used to produce a stronger resistance as necessary.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show that the apparatus can be folded down in a way it can be stored away in a compact space such as a closet space or a space between a floor and a bed frame. In FIG. 8, the embodiment is about a halfway folded. First the seat pad 36 is lifted slightly to disengage the seat lever 33 from the finger 32 and the seat lever 33 is folded so that the seat lever 33 is substantially flat against the seat pad 36. Then the whole set of the seat pad 36, the seat mount 35, and the seat lever 33 can be folded down so that the set is substantially flat and parallel against the seat support 52. To fold down the arm portion 4, the first pin 43 is released from the holes 41 on the seat frame 52, then by moving the arm pad 50 toward the back pad 39 until the arm portion 4 sits substantially flat and parallel to the seat support 52. Lastly, to fold down the back support 26, the links 24, 25 are folded down or up to bring in the back support 26 toward the front support 21 until the back supports 26 becomes substantially flat and parallel with the front support 21. The links 24, 25 may be replaced with a string of chain or a piece of a flexible wire with the both ends fixed at the third and fourth pivots 27, 23 respectively.

It should be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention provides a foldable abdominal and thigh exercise machine that can be easily adjusted to provide a number of different exercise settings utilizing the user's body weight as a resistance, as well as, for convenient storage. The apparatus includes a base frame to support the exercise machine on a floor when a front support and a back support of the base frame are folded out. The base frame is pivotally connected to a seat frame that accommodates a user to sit down or lean against and is movable up and down relative to the base frame. An arm portion is pivotally attached on the base frame and one end of a link is pivotally connected to the seat frame and at the other end to the arm portion such that when the arm portion is given an angular displacement to the direction away from the back pad on the seat frame, the seat frame is lifted to provide a resistance against the movement of the arm portion. An arm pad of the arm portion may be adjusted up and down using a first adjustment of the seat frame and in and out using a second adjustment on the arm portion so that the arm pad of the arm portion may be positioned for the user to focus on the upper body workout in one setting or the lower body workout in another setting as well as to accommodate different body size users. In a stored position, the space between the back support and the front support of the base frame is reduced and the space between the arm portion and the seat frame is also reduced so that the arm portion, the seat frame, and the base frame are substantially flat and parallel to each other.

Although the invention has been disclosed in detail with reference only to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various other embodiments can be provided without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is defined only by the claims set forth below.

CALL OUT LIST OF THE ELEMENTS

-   1 abdominal and thigh exercise machine -   2 base frame -   3 seat frame -   4 arm portion -   21 front support -   22 second pivot -   23 fourth pivot -   24 first link -   25 second link -   26 back support -   27 third pivot -   28 support pivot -   29 first pivot -   30 second foot -   31 first foot -   32 finger -   33 seat lever -   34 seat lever pivot -   35 seat mount -   36 seat pad -   37 seat pad pivot -   38 spacers -   39 back pad -   41 holes -   42 first pin -   43 slider -   44 lifting pivot -   45 lifting link -   46 arm pivot -   47 arm support -   49 arm adjuster -   48 second pin -   50 arm pad -   51 third foot -   52 seat support -   53 second pivot -   55 arm holes -   58 first pivot -   88 elastic member -   100 link pivot 

1. An exercise machine comprising: a base frame; a seat frame connected to the base frame at a first pivot; an arm connecting to the base frame at a second pivot that connects the arm to the base frame; a lifting link at an arm pivot, wherein the lifting link is connected to the seat frame at a lifting pivot; wherein, when a user pushes the arm, force is transmitted to lift the seat frame via the lifting link connected at the lifting pivot on the seat frame.
 2. The exercise machine of claim 1, further comprising: a seat pad mounted to the seat frame on a seat pad pivot on the seat frame, wherein the seat pad has a seat lever pivot supporting a seat lever on the seat frame.
 3. The exercise machine of claim 1, further comprising a support connected at a support pivot mounted on the base frame, wherein the support is connected to the base frame at the support pivot.
 4. The exercise machine of claim 1, further comprising: a slider that is slidingly mounted on the seat frame and connected to the lifting link by the lifting pivot, wherein the location of the lifting pivot relative to the seat frame is adjusted by the location of the slider on the seat frame.
 5. The exercise machine of claim 4, further comprising: a pin connected with an engagement member formed on the seat frame.
 6. The exercise machine of claim 5, further comprising holes formed on the seat frame, wherein the engagement member is a pop-up pin connecting to the holes.
 7. The exercise machine of claim 5, wherein the engagement member is a set screw tightening against the seat frame.
 8. The exercise machine of claim one, wherein the arm folds up to a stowed position for device storage.
 9. The exercise machine of claim one, further comprising an elastic resistance member connected between the seat frame and the base frame.
 10. An exercise machine comprising: a base frame; a seat frame connected to the base frame at a first pivot forming a main angle between the seat frame and base frame; an arm connecting to the base frame at a second pivot that connects the arm to the base frame, forming an arm angle between the arm and base frame; a lifting link at an arm pivot; wherein, when a user pushes the arm increasing the arm angle, the main angle also increases; a seat pad mounted to the seat frame on a seat pad pivot on the seat frame, wherein the seat pad has a seat lever pivot supporting a seat lever on the seat frame; a support connected at a support pivot mounted on the base frame, wherein the support is connected to the base frame at the support pivot.
 11. The exercise machine of claim 10 further comprising: a pin connected with an engagement member formed on the seat frame.
 12. The exercise machine of claim 10, further comprising holes formed on the seat frame, wherein the engagement member is a pop-up pin connecting to the holes.
 13. The exercise machine of claim 10, wherein the engagement member is a set screw tightening against the seat frame.
 14. The exercise machine of claim 10, wherein the arm folds up to a stowed position for device storage.
 15. The exercise machine of claim 10, further comprising an elastic resistance member connected between the seat frame and the base frame.
 16. An exercise machine comprising: a base frame; a seat frame connected to the base frame at a first pivot, forming a main angle between the seat frame and base frame; an arm connecting to the base frame at a second pivot that connects the arm to the base frame, forming an arm angle between the arm and base frame; a lifting link at an arm pivot; a lifting link at an arm pivot, wherein the lifting link is connected to the seat frame at a lifting pivot; wherein, when a user pushes the arm, force is transmitted to lift the seat frame via the lifting link connected at the lifting pivot on the seat frame, wherein, when a user pushes the arm increasing the arm angle, the main angle also increases; a pin connected with an engagement member formed on the seat frame; wherein the engagement member is a set screw tightening against the seat frame; wherein the arm folds up to a stowed position for device storage; and a seat pad mounted to the seat frame on a seat pad pivot on the seat frame, wherein the seat pad has a seat lever pivot supporting a seat lever on the seat frame; a support connected at a support pivot mounted on the base frame, wherein the support is connected to the base frame at the support pivot.
 17. The exercise machine of claim 16, further comprising an elastic resistance member connected between the seat frame and the base frame.
 18. The exercise machine of claim 16, wherein the arm is formed as a telescoping member extendable from a retracted position to an extended position allowing a user different body exercises. 